Calling it now: Florida is going to be the team nobody sees coming in the CFP projections this fall. everybody is locked in on Oregon vs Georgia as the top two and that's fine, but the Gators quietly sit at No. 13 in the 247 composite with a higher average recruit rating than half the teams ranked above them. That is not a fluke.
Jon Sumrall stepping into the Sarkisian-Kiffin academic spat tells you everything about the culture shift happening in Gainesville. Florida ranked 4th in the SEC in academic progress rate last year and Sumrall is out here defending the brand while other coaches are throwing stones. That matters when you are trying to build a program that sustains, not just flashes for one season.
The playoff field is expanding and the SEC is still going to send 4-5 teams minimum. Florida's schedule is brutal with Texas, Ole Miss, LSU, and Georgia but the roster talent is there. The QB room is being rebuilt, the portal additions are filling gaps, and the recruiting class is trending up. Watch the Gators sneak into that 12-team field as a 10 or 11 seed and make some noise. This is not a rebuild, it is a reload with a coach who actually cares about the program's identity.